


Music Mal <i>or</i> My White Knight, The

by westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist



Category: The West Wing
Genre: F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-02-04
Updated: 2006-02-04
Packaged: 2019-05-30 09:34:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15094013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist/pseuds/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist
Summary: Sam goes to see Mal in community theater.





	Music Mal or My White Knight, The

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

 

TITLE: The Music Mal *or* My White Knight  
AUTHOR: Kasey  
RATING: PG, S/M  
SUMMARY: Sam goes to see Mal in community theater.  
DISCLAIMERS: The characters aren't mine, they belong to Aaron Sorkin. "The   
Music Man" is a musical written by...I forget who, but that's not mine   
either. Nor is the song from it (logically!), which is called "My White   
Knight". 

I had to practically sneak out of the office tonight. 

I could've just asked for the time off - There was nothing pressing I had to   
do that couldn't wait until the morning. But he would've asked where I was   
going, and that was an answer I didn't want to have to give. He'd find me   
another birthday message to write or something. 

It's not like I had any business being there anyway. I'd screwed up, I'd   
lost her. But I had to see her again. I know it makes me sound crazy, like   
some stalker, but I-...I wanted to see her. 

And so I ducked out of work early and headed over to the high school. 

I didn't know there was a theater program in her neck of the woods, I guess   
it was never the sort of thing I paid any attention to. It's not like I   
would go join, nor is it like I'd have the time to go see productions. 

But this one, I knew I had to see. 

She's starring in The Music Man tonight. And from what Josh says, she's damn   
good. 

I think he's sneaking out tonight, too. It'd make sense - they're like   
brother and sister. In fact - yeah, he just walked in with Leo. 

If they see me, I'm a dead man. 

I take a seat in the middle, somewhere nondescript, not lurking in the   
shadows at the back of the theater. And I settle in to watch. 

It's a good musical, I've seen the movie before...my sister used to LOVE that   
movie, back when she wanted to be a band teacher. 

But I've never seen *her* in it...and that makes all the difference. 

She has a great stage presence - I know very little about theater, but that   
much I can tell, it's a-...a palpable thing. She seems completely at home up   
there, not like me...I'd be shaking in my socks by now if I was onstage...The   
little girl at the piano looks familiar, too, I think she's one of Mal's   
students...probably. The little boy, too. 

But I only glance at them. I'm too busy watching her. 

Which makes me sound like a stalker, but that's not the point. 

Then she opens her mouth to sing. And I think my jaw drops, I'm not sure. 

Her voice is so beautiful, it-...she couldl be a professional. She really   
could. 

I look cautiously over toward Leo and he's leaning his chin on his hand,   
elbow on the armrest, grinning as he listens to his pride and joy up there   
onstage. Josh has on that proud grin like I wore when my sister graduated   
from medical school, that sort of big-brother pride, the knowing you'd beat   
up any kid on any playground who tried to mess with the little sister. 

She's gazing through a "window", which faces toward us, so at several points   
she stares right at me without seeing me because it's so dark in the theater   
and the lights onstage are so bright. Then, toward the end of the song, the   
lights dim a little more, and she stiffens just slightly, just a tiny bit,   
still singing beautifully the whole time. 

And then the song ends and she exits. 

I'm pretty sure she saw me. I can tell because the next solo song she had,   
she sang staring right at me the entire time. 

*My White Knight,  
Not a lancelot, nor an angel with wings,  
Just someone who'll love me  
Who's not ashamed of a few nice things...* 

I was a fool, Mallory, I know...I should have called you, I-...God, I would   
do anything to make you happy...I'd buy you the world, the moon, the   
stars...If it would make you happy, I would do it...Name it, Mal, I'll do   
it...You're beautiful when you're happy...you're beautiful anytime, but I'm   
saying-...oh, do I even KNOW what I'm saying? 

*My White Knight,  
Who knew what my heard would say if it only knew how  
Please, dear Venus, show me now...* 

I wish I knew how to win you back, I-...I'm sorry, I'm sorry I hurt you, I'm   
sorry I didn't call you, I'm sorry I have to work long hours and that your   
father doesn't find me an acceptable suitor...maybe I'm NOT an acceptable   
suitor. After all, I did the wrong thing countless times...But I'm sorry, I   
am... 

*All I want is a plain man  
All I want is a modest man  
A quiet man, a gentle man*  
She narrows her eyes slightly at me.  
*A straightforward and honest man*  
Ouch.  
*To sit with me in a cottage somwhere in the state of Iowa*  
What's in Iowa?  
*And I would like him to be more interested in me than he is in himself  
And more interested in us than in me...* 

...If you want me to leave, Mallory...if you just want to be rid of me...Just   
say the word, I-...I won't like it, but I'll do it anyway, for you, for your   
happiness... 

*And if occasionally he'd ponder what made  
Shakespeare or Beethoven great  
Him I could love 'til I die  
Him I could love 'til I die* 

["Yes, and we're having quite a lot of sex." 

"I'd think you'd almost have to" 

"What is THAT supposed to mean?" 

"What the hell do you and Richard Andrechuck talk about?" 

"He happens to be a terrbly bright guy"] 

["You are so exactly like him..."] 

...You're so smart, Mallory...so smart...you could've been a world class   
political opperative if you wanted, so great on your toes, so   
passionate...those kids you teach are truly lucky to learn from you... 

*My White Knight  
Not a lancelot, nor an angel with wings  
Just someone to love me,   
Who's not afraid of a few nice things.  
My White Knight,   
Let me walk with him where others ride by  
Walk and love him 'til I die  
'Til I die* 

The final note rings out, hanging in the air a moment like a hummingbird,   
hovering over the audience, before the applause begins. And the play   
continues. Intermission comes and goes. 

But I can't get my mind off that song. Off her. 

I screwed up badly. Very badly. And now it's probably too late to get her   
back. But it's my own fault, I can't blame anyone else, this is just me. My   
own fault. My own stupidity and ignorance and...cowardess. 

The curtain call finally snaps me from my revery. I applaud extra hard for   
Mallory, and I see that Leo leaps to his feet, just as proud as a father   
watching his second-grade daughter in the role of Tree Number Two in "The   
Lonely Forest". Everyone stands as Mallory and the guy who played   
the...guy...bow together, a standing ovation for their great performance, and   
it's only then that I whistle, surprising myself almost as much as the people   
around me. She's grinning - she looks great when she's so happy. And then   
the curtain closes and people begin to put on their coats and venture out   
into the blustery night. 

I wait around, hoping to see her, as do Leo and Josh, but I continue to keep   
my distance. Mallory walks out from backstage about ten minutes later, in   
normal dress but still donning full stage makeup, and she's met immediately   
by her father and near-brother. Leo hands her a rose bouquet that I hadn't   
noticed until just now and kisses her cheek, and she beams as he says   
something to her. Josh hugs her and produces a single white rose from behind   
his back, and she laughs...maybe that's a running joke with those two. I   
don't know. 

Then she says something and both of their heads snap around to stare at me.   
I blush seventy shades of red, and she starts toward me while Josh and Leo   
head out to Leo's blue Sedan, their destination: the White House. 

"You!" She charges toward me, fire glittering in her brown eyes, and I smile   
weakly. I hold out a small bundle of simple flowers as a peace offering, but   
it doesn't make her soften any. "What are you doing here?" she demanded. 

"I-...I wanted to come see you. You were great." 

"Thank you." 

"Really." 

"Why did you come here?" 

"I told you - I wanted to see you. Josh talked about how amazing you were on   
stage and I...I had to come see for myself," I answer lamely. That's true,   
but not the whole reason. I don't think I can say the whole reason. 

"You wanted to see me?" she repeats, still unyielding. 

"I...yeah," I say quietly. 

"Why?" 

"What is this, twenty questions?" 

"Hey, you came here -" 

"Because I wanted to see you," I say again. "Because I think I might still   
be in love with you and I wanted to see you and maybe talk to you"...and   
MAYBE win you back...aw, Sam, stop dreaming. 

"You might still be WHAT?" she asks in a voice that's nearly a hiss. 

"You heard me." 

"Sam." She turns around so I can't see her face, but doesn't walk away - she   
just stands there. 

"...Mallory?" 

"Sam, stop doing this." 

"Stop doing what?" 

"This -...This-....This thing where you play hero and come and try and win   
back the princess." 

"I wasn't playing hero, Mal. This was my own selfishness talking." I smile   
hopefully. 

"Stop DOING this to me! You -...You come in and you smile and you want me to   
go back to you even though you didn't call me at ALL after the -" 

"I'm sorry! I've said it as many times as I could, you told me not to worry   
about it!" 

"You weren't supposed to *believe* me!" 

"What?" 

"When a woman says-...hell, when ANYONE says that...you're not supposed to   
ACTUALLY stop worrying about it, you're supposed to be overridden with guilt   
and feel horrible and call me up and apologize more and then -" 

"I thought you were being generic." 

"What?" 

"You were being generic until you said "call *me* up and apologize more'." 

"What does it matter?" 

"I dunno." 

"Right." 

"And then what?" 

"What are you -?" 

"You said 'call me up and apologize more and then'." 

"Nevermind." 

"What?" 

"Then ask me out on a date or something but that's not the point." She says   
the first part in barely an audible voice, then speaks louder for the second   
part. I grin. She really ISN'T as mad at me as she'd like me to think. I   
have a chance. Maybe...just maybe..."What?" she demands. 

"Hm?" 

"You're grinning - Sam, don't just grin at me like that..." 

"Listen, I-...There's nothing else at the White House that needs done before   
tomorrow...wanna go get coffee or something?" 

She smiles tentatively, as though she's not sure whether or not she should.   
"I...okay." I lead the way out to my SUV and notice she doesn't have a coat,   
just her sweater, so I promptly drape my trenchcoat over her shoulders. It's   
too long on her - it smacks against her ankles - but that doesn't matter. 

What does matter? 

She's going with me for coffee. And maybe, just maybe, one of these days   
soon, she'll forgive me. I smile at that thought.

  


End file.
